Dozens of fairground attraction owners parked their vehicles on the Malieveld in central The Hague on Friday in protest at the ban on fairs because of coronavirus.

Fairground owners are particularly angry that theme parks have been allowed to reopen but that they have not. ‘We are not out to cause problems or make a mess,’ a spokesman for the protestors told the AD. ‘We want to create attention for our problems.’

The city had agreed to allow 10 fairground attractions to be parked on the Malieveld but later allowed more into the city, after a number of owners blocked the A12 into The Hague in the morning.

An estimated 150 attractions were driven to The Hague for the protests but had been told most would have to park at the Ado Den Haag football stadium on the edge of the city, news website Nu.nl said.

Health minister Hugo de Jonge said in a reaction to the protests that he is prepared to consider allowing fairs to reopen ahead of the current deadline of September 1.